How to Make Mayonnaise

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Mayonnaise is one of those foods that I refuse to buy in stores. We try our best to stay away from unhealthy industrial vegetable oils (like soy, corn, canola, safflower, etc.) and I have yet to find a mayonnaise that contains none of those oils. So, if I want to eat mayonnaise I have to make it myself. Luckily, making your own mayonnaise is quite simple.

I haven’t eaten commercial mayonnaise in years, so I can’t say how closely this homemade mayonnaise recipe replicates store-bought versions. We find it completely delicious, though, and love eating it with homemade chicken or tuna salad.

A Few Notes on Ingredients

I originally developed this recipe using only olive oil. Since then, however, I’ve discovered that half olive oil and half avocado oil makes an even more delicious mayonnaise. If you have avocado oil on hand, I highly recommend giving the half olive half avocado oil combination a try. If you don’t have avocado oil, though, I still think that an all-olive oil mayonnaise is very tasty.

Some people find that olive oil mayonnaise has too strong of a flavor for their tastes. If you don’t care for the olive oil in this recipe, you can try replacing some of the olive oil with expeller-pressed coconut oil or another healthy oil. If you experiment with different oils, I recommend also experimenting with the amount of honey and salt in the recipe–you may prefer smaller amounts if your oil is more mild.

If you want your mayonnaise to last longer in the fridge, you can ferment your finished mayonnaise with liquid whey. We find that this process also makes the flavor of the mayonnaise even better, so I highly recommend this extra step if you’re up for it. You can make your own liquid whey by straining yogurt or kefir.

Ingredients

3 egg yolks (from pastured hens)

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

3/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon liquid whey (optional--for fermenting your mayonnaise)

Instructions

Pour olive oil and avocado oil into your measuring cup. (Or other receptacle that will allow for easy, slow pouring.)

Add all ingredients except oil to the mixing cup that came with your immersion blender. Blend ingredients briefly until evenly mixed, then begin adding your oil in a very thin stream. (By thin stream, I mean just barely faster than drip by drip.) Make sure that your blender is positioned such that the oil is being rapidly incorporated into the rest of the ingredients. I find that holding my blender at an angle usually works well.

Continue adding the remainder of your oil. Your mayonnaise will slowly begin to emulsify and become thicker as you continue adding more and more oil. If oil ever begins to pool in the mixing cup, take a moment to move the blender around and up and down to mix the oil in thoroughly.

You have now made mayonnaise! Feel free to pat yourself on the back for a job well done. 🙂

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Fermenting Your Mayonnaise

For extra health benefits and to increase the shelf life of your mayonnaise, I recommend lactofermenting your mayonnaise with whey. After you’ve finished adding all of your olive oil, simply blend in a tablespoon of liquid whey. Transfer the mayonnaise to a lidded container and allow it to sit on the counter for about seven hours to give the bacteria in the whey time to ferment the mayonnaise. Store finished mayonnaise in the fridge as usual.

Making Mayonnaise with a Food Processor

I like making my mayonnaise with my immersion blender because I find it makes for easier cleanup than using a food processor. I have, however, successfully made mayonnaise in my food processor, so that is definitely an option if you don’t have an immersion blender. The process is exactly the same–add everything except the olive oil to your food processor, process briefly, then very slowly pour in your oil while your food processor is running.

Do you make your own mayonnaise?

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14 Responses to How to Make Mayonnaise

Hi. This may be a stupid question, but can you lacto-ferment the mayo if you use raw honey? Probably not.
Plus, I love Miracle whip. If I added more apple cider vinegar would it make it taste like Miracle Whip? I've never paid attention to what's in it.
Thanks for your posts and interesting ideas :)

I use raw honey and still ferment it. Honestly I think it's such a tiny amount (2 teaspoons in more than a cup of finished mayonnaise) that it wouldn't make a difference. But I'm certainly not an expert--I'd do your own research to see what you feel comfortable with.
I don't know about the Miracle Whip--I'm not sure I've ever eaten it. I'd experiment to see if you can replicate it, though!

I am not totally sure. If you ferment it, I think at least several weeks if not months. If you don't ferment it, probably only a few days. Just make sure that you smell it before you use it, and as long as it smells and tastes good I think you'll be fine!

I am not totally sure. If you ferment it, I think at least several weeks if not months. If you don't ferment it, probably only a few days. Just make sure that you smell it before you use it, and as long as it smells and tastes good I think you'll be fine!

You don't need electricity to make mayonnaise, as in, using a blender, food processor, etc. On the British cooking program "Two Fat Girls" they made mayonnaise simply by slowly and gently hand-stirring the mayonnaise, adding the oil slowly, a small amount at a time. It slowly turned white before your eyes!

I am lactose intolerant. Can I use the yeast used when baking bread instead?
My grandma, mom and sister made/make mayo all the time. A must when eating brussel sprouts.
They use canola oil for some reason? Must ask them.
Leanne

This will be a third attempt at submitting a comment.
I am lactose intolerant and wonder if regular bread yeast can be substituted?
We never used yeast and our mayo we use canola oil. For some reason olive oil could not be used?
Leanne

No, you can't substitute bread yeast. The whey ferments the mayonnaise with probiotics, which yeast doesn't have (as far as I know). But if you're just lactose intolerant (as opposed to dairy intolerant), you can use whey from a lactose-free dairy product that you've made yourself, such as yogurt or kefir. I'm lactose intolerant but do just fine with my homemade yogurt or kefir, since the long fermentation process removes the lactose.
Here's how to make kefir: http://wholenaturallife.com/2012/02/23/how-to-make-kefir/
And yogurt: http://wholenaturallife.com/2012/09/20/how-to-make-gaps-yogurt-in-your-dehydrator/